[NAGDU] Guide dog schools

Fri Jul 22 13:42:16 UTC 2016

Hi, all.

I'd just like to chime in with some recent GDA info.  While they are a small 
school in CA, they do have in home follow up.  I was having issues with my 
dog and they got a trainer to me within a matter of days.  Before that, 
though, I'd been trying to solve the issues on this list and by phone with 
GDA trainers, so they realized that I was having difficulty that couldn't be 
solved without in person follow-up.

I live in Southern Illinois, so no where near CA.

They have a class of 10 maximum with three trainers per class.  They were on 
a four week schedule when I was there back in 2015, but I think they're 
wanting to transition to a shorter training period.  I got to go home a week 
early because I was a retrain.  Some schools will let retrains do this even 
if they're getting a first dog from that school.  I got my first two dogs 
from GDF, and I noticed that most of the main training  between GDF and GDA 
are very similar, as is the training philosophy.

They also grant ownership upon graduation and you meet the dog's raiser 
before leaving and then have the option to stay in contact once you 
graduate.

I just wanted to clarify so someone wouldn't rule out a smaller west coast 
school on the basis of home follow up.

Lisa Belville
missktlab1217 at frontier.com

Never make the same mistake twice. There are so many new ones, try a 
different one each day.
----- Original Message ----- 
From: "Julie J. via NAGDU" <nagdu at nfbnet.org>
To: "NAGDU Mailing List,the National Association of Guide Dog Users" 
<nagdu at nfbnet.org>
Cc: "Julie J." <julielj at neb.rr.com>
Sent: Thursday, July 21, 2016 5:20 PM
Subject: Re: [NAGDU] Guide dog schools

> Disclaimer, I've not attended any guide dog program.  I have owner trained 
> or hired a private trainer.  I have poured over all the schools offerings, 
> talked to numerous trainers, handlers and family and have just about 
> memorized that GDUI survey.
>
> Based on what you are saying the two schools that come to mind are The 
> Seeing Eye and The Guide Dog Foundation, in New Jersey and New York 
> respectively.
>
> GDB, GDA  and GDD are clear out in California.  GEB, Leader, Southeastern 
> do not give immediate ownership.  Some of the other schools are regional 
> only and I don't think you are in their service area.  Pilot is in Ohio, 
> but they don't do in person follow up and I think you have to pay for 
> transportation to the school.  Gallant Hearts is in Mississippi, but they 
> have a coownership agreement and I don't know if that fits in with what 
> you want. It's also a small school and I have no clue about wait times or 
> follow up.
>
> I'd just pick one or two and start the application process.  Remember you 
> are evaluating them just as much as they are evaluating you.  If at any 
> time during the process you get a bad feeling, just politely pull your 
> application and move on to other options.
>
> I wish guide dogs were like cars and you could take them for test drives 
> and negotiate options, but no such luck!  All my best on your adventure!
>
> Julie
> Courage to Dare: A Blind Woman's Quest to Train her Own Guide Dog is now 
> available! Get the book here:
> http://www.amazon.com/dp/B00QXZSMOC
> -----Original Message----- 
> From: Andy B via NAGDU
> Sent: Thursday, July 21, 2016 4:37 PM
> To: NAGDU Mailing List,the National Association of Guide Dog Users
> Cc: Andy B
> Subject: Re: [NAGDU] Guide dog schools
>
> From what I could tell, Seeing Eye looks like it would be the best fit. 
> They have everything I am looking for in a guide dog school. I can bend on 
> the financial help if needed. However, the other points are nonnegotiable. 
> Based on what you shared, it sounds like they will meet all of the other 
> needs.
>
>
> Sent from my iPhone
>
>> On Jul 21, 2016, at 5:12 PM, Nancy VanderBrink via NAGDU 
>> <nagdu at nfbnet.org> wrote:
>>
>> My husband would be more knowledgable than I but I believe GDB helps with 
>> vet costs to some extent.
>>
>> Sent from my iPhone
>>
>>> On Jul 21, 2016, at 4:36 PM, Andy B. via NAGDU <nagdu at nfbnet.org> wrote:
>>>
>>> I have done extensive research on most of the schools out there. 
>>> However, I
>>> don't want to choose one if it appears to look good but has a bad 
>>> reputation
>>> with most owners. Here are the answers to the questions asked. Note that 
>>> I
>>> was approved for a dog at Leader dogs in Michigan. This was in 
>>> 2003-2004.
>>> However, I never attended because living conditions forced me to move 
>>> down
>>> state.
>>>
>>> what do you want in a school?
>>> Respect and dignity from the staff members. Both for me and the dog. 
>>> They
>>> must not discount or push aside any of my experiences in life, or lack 
>>> of
>>> such experience.
>>>
>>> How much time can you spend there?
>>> No longer than 4 or 5 weeks.
>>>
>>> Would you want to have a home turn over, or do something that was a
>>> combination of going there and returning?
>>> Both at home work and at their campus.
>>>
>>> What is their ownership policy, and do you want to own your dog outright 
>>> or
>>> do you want it to be a rental?
>>> Own it outright.
>>>
>>> How far would you want to travel to get the dog?
>>> I want to stay as close to home as possible [Virginia].
>>> What do you want in after graduation support?
>>> Lifetime support with occasional training at home. If possible, 
>>> financial
>>> support for extreme situations.
>>> -----Original Message-----
>>> From: NAGDU [mailto:nagdu-bounces at nfbnet.org] On Behalf Of Andy B. via 
>>> NAGDU
>>> Sent: Thursday, July 21, 2016 6:49 AM
>>> To: nagdu at nfbnet.org
>>> Cc: Andy B. <sonfire11 at gmail.com>
>>> Subject: [NAGDU] Guide dog schools
>>>
>>> Hi everyone,
>>>
>>>
>>>
>>> I will start the process of applying for a guide dog soon. The only 
>>> stopping
>>> point now is which school to attend. Can owners give their experiences 
>>> and
>>> recommendations on what one to attend?
>>>
>>>
>>>
>>> Thanks for your thoughts.
>>>
>>>
>>>
>>> Andy Borka
>>>
>>>
>>>
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